I was training my
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with a fellow practitioner. I was in the unfavorable position of being underneath side control. I became frustrated, and wanted to get out (because my freaking guts were being smashed). I tried to escape with a little too much vigor and…..BAM! I kneed myself right in the friggin eye socket.
I think the most common experience that I can relate this to is the frustration of dropping keys while your late, and then bonking your head while in the process of hastily picking them up.
I ignored the sting (picked up the keys), took a deep yogic breath (I said to myself, “Self, don’t go ape-s$&@”) , and continued training.
After I finished, someone said, “Ohhhh that could be bad”. Which, by the way, is not a comforting thing to hear. I took a peek in the bathroom mirror, and yup, there was a dainty little black eye forming.
Heck, I’ll admit I own a mirror, so I’m a little a vain. The thought of wearing a shiner isn’t exactly on the top of my list. I was also a little worried about being judged. Then I remembered this awesome story about this beautiful yoga goddess named Lakshmi.
Lakshmi was pretty much the gal to be back in the day (think Britney Spears before the kids and the drugs). She represented abundance, prosperity, and all the good things that come along with being a beautiful goddess. There was this big party and of course Lakshmi was going to be the belle of the ball. She was wearing her beautifully flawless white dress, when she noticed a red stain. THE red stain, they didn’t have Tampax back then.
Instead of panicking or feeling ashamed, Lakshmi took her white dress with the awful red stain and decided to turn her “flaw” into “flawless” by dying her entire dress red. Needless to say, she got a standing ovation.
That night when I got home, my boyfriend and I decided to go get a nice dinner. While I was getting ready, I realized my black eye was exactly where my eye shadow would go to make that “come hither” smokey eye look. It blended perfectly.
What I realized is that we all have flaws, and sometimes they show more than others. But the real lesson is can we take what life hands us, and be ok with it? Not only could we be ok, but take that flaw and make it our own without shame? Nobody is perfect, so why not learn to revel in our flaws. So whenever life gives you a black eye, slap some rogue on and give life a wink.
